Fish cutting machine



June 30, 1942. J. M. MELAND 2,288,010

` FISH-CUTTING MACHINE Filed May 7, 1941 Patented June 30, 1942 UNHTEDSTATES FATENT OFFIQE 8 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for cutting fish and other materials.It is intended particularly for the cutting of herring for picklingpurposes.

It is one of the objects of the invention to pro- Y vide a novel andimproved machine for cutting fish and the like which is of cheap andsimple construction and can be efficiently operated for sub-dividing thesh or the like into a number of parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedmachine for cutting fish and the like including a plurality of spacedcircular knives and means for carrying the fish into the knives, theknives being so arranged that as they work into the fish side slippingmovement of the fish is prevented relative to the knives.

Another object is to provide in a sh cutting machine a plurality ofcircular knives, a-plurality of belts carrying the fish to the knivesand meansv for straightening the fish relative to the belts so that thefish will lie crosswise of the belts as they are carried to the knives.

Another object is to provide a sh cutting machine having a plurality ofcutting discs to which the sh are carried, the outermost discs beingadapted to cut off the heads and tails of the sh and the outermost discsbeing so arranged relative to the inner discs that they act firstagainst the fish to prevent side slipping of the fish as the inner discswork into the same.

The objects and advantages of the invention will more fully appear fromthe following description made in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, wherein like reference characters refer to the same or similarparts throughout the views, and in which- Fig. `1 is a view partly inside elevation and partly in vertical section through a sh cuttingmachine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine shown in Fig. l, certain of theparts being broken away to more clearly illustrate other parts; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig.1 as indicated by the arrows.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention a machine is shownadapted for use in the cutting of herring for pickling purposes. Amachine is vshown including a solid deck 4 of generally elongatedrectangular shape having side bars 5 attached thereto and the side barsbeing secured to rear and forward legs 6 and 1 respectively and the legsat each side of the machine being interconnected by stringers 8. Thedeck 4 at the rear 55 end of the machine, the left end as shown in Figs.1 and 2 of the drawing, terminates short of the side bars 5 andextending between the two rear ends of the side bars and journaledtherein is a rear shaft 9 carrying an elongated roller or belt pulley IB between the two side bars, the said belt pulley being the equivalentmechanically of a multiplicity of individual belt pulleys. The shaft 9is adapted to be driven as from an overhead shaft or motor (notillustrated) through the medium of an endless belt II working over apulley I2 at the outer side of one of the two side bars 5. Outwardlyfrom the pulley I2 the shaft 9 may be equipped with a driving pulley I3for a purpose presently to appear.

The deck 4 terminates short of the forward ends of the side bars 5 asshown and a forward shaft I4 is journaled in the forward end `portionsof the two side bars 5 to extend between the same in parallelism withthe shaft 9. This shaft I4 carries at its central portion a plurality ofbelt pulleys I5 (four of these belt pulleys being shown in theillustrated embodiment) and these belt pulleys I5 are adjustably securedto the shaft I4 as by means of countersunk set screws I5a so that thespace between pulleys can be readily adjusted.

The deck 4 is provided with side notches I6 intermediate the two ends ofthe deck and preferably somewhat closer to the forward end of the deckthan toward the rear end thereof. An intermediate shaft I'I is journaledin the two side bars 5 and in the central portion of the deck 4 toextend across the two notches I6 preferably nearer the rear portionsthereof than nearer the forward portions and this intermediate shaft l1preferably carries two belt pulleys I3 one disposed in each notch I5 ofthe deck. These pulleys I8 are also preferably adjustably secured to theshaft I I as by countersunk set screws I8a. so as to vary the positionof these pulleys on the shaft. It should be stated that the shaft IIruns parallel to the two shafts 9 and I4.

A pair of upstanding bearing brackets I9 are mounted for verticaladjustment relative to the deck 4 and forward posts 1 as by means ofnutted bolts 20 attached to the posts and side bars 5 and projectingthrough slots I9a. formed in these brackets I9. Journaled in the upperportions of the brackets I9 is a knife shaft 2| carrying a plurality(three in the illustrated embodiment) of circular intermediate cuttingknives 22 and a pair of outer circular cutting knives 23. Theintermediate knives 22 are of less diameter than the tWo outer knives 23for a purpose presently to appear. The outer knives project Vinto thenotches I while the inner knives 22 are partially received within slots4a formed in the deck 4 below the same. Each knife 22 and 23 has acentral hub adjustably secured to the knife shaft 2| as by means of aset screw 22a or 23a respectively whereby the spacing between thevarious knives can be varied. In line with the pulley I3 and at the sameside of the machine the knife shaft 2| carries a pulley 24 and a crossbelt 25 runs over the two pulleys I3 and 24 whereby the knife shaft 2|may be driven from the rear shaft 9 but in an opposite directiontherefrom. Inwardly from the pulley 24 the shaft 2| is provided withanother pulley 26.

Inner endless belts 21 run over the pulley roller I5 carried by rearshaft 9 and the pulleys I5 carried by the forward shaft I4 and Vtheupper runs of these belts work over the deck 4 and extend betweenadjacent knives carried by the knife shaft 2|. In the illustratedembodiment the belts 21 are `four in number and the upper runs of thetwo innermostbelts work between adjacent intermediate knives 22 whilethe upper runs of the two outermost belts 21 work between the outerinner knives 22 and the outer knives 23.

A pair of endless belts 23 are provided which work over the belt rollerIl) and the respective pulleys I3 on the intermediate shaft I1. Thesebelts 23 are considerably shorter than the belts 21 and the upper runsof the belts 28 work over the decks 4, being disposed somewhat outwardlyfrom the outer knives 23.

A gauge plate 29 consisting of an angle bar adjustably mounted in thedeck 4 as by means of nutted belts 3D received in slots 3| formed in thedeck is located near the rear end of the deck adjacent one side thereofand it extendsY for a short distance longitudinally of the deck. Thisgauge plate 25 acts as an abutment plate against which the mouths oflfish may be placed as they are fed onto the belts 21 and 28.

A pair of guide plates 32 are adjustably mounted on the deck 4 to extendsubstantially from between the notches I6 to the forward end of thedeck. The guide plates 32 may be angle bars as shown adjustably mountedon the deck 4 as by means of nutted bolts 33 received within slots 34formed in the deck. These guide plates 32 preferably extendlongitudinally of the deck and are located preferably in rather closeproximity to but outwardly from the position of the outer cutting discs23.

A metal casing 35 is preferably secured to the forward portion of thedeck 4 and this casing has a rear substantially semi-circular curvedportion which extends over the knives 22 and 23 and it has a forwardhood portion which overlies the forward portions of the upper runs ofthe inner belts 21, projects forwardly beyond the pulleys I5 and curvesdownwardly at its forward end.

To keep the cutting knives 22 and 23 clear of the material that is beingcut a plurality of fingers 33 are provided between adjacent knives 22and between the outer knives 22 and the knives 23 and these fingers arepreferably located below the knife shaft 2| at a level above the deck 4and they are secured at their forward ends to a cross bar 31 secured atits ends as 'to the casing 35. Secured to the side bars 5 of the machinein rearwardly spaced relation from the knives 22 and 23 is an upstand-CIK .ing rectangular vframe consisting of the -uprights 38 and upper andlower cross bars 39 and 40 respectively. A cam shaft 4I is journaled inthe uprights 38 between the cross bars 39 and 4) to extend transverselyof the machine and this cam shaft is adapted to be driven as from theknife shaft 2| by means of an endless belt 42 running over the pulley 26and also running over a pulley 43 secured to an outer end of the camshaft 4| in alignment with the pulley 26. Carried by the shaft 4| at anintermediate portion thereof is a single faced cam 44. A transversestraightening plate 45 is provided which may consist of merely a bar andthis plate has centrally attached thereto an arm 45 which projectsupwardly through an eye 41 carried by the cross bar 43 to extend abovethe level of the cam 44, said arm having a rearwardly projecting portionat its upper end which directly overlies the cam 44 to be acted onthereby. To guide the movement of the straightening bar 45 for verticalreciprocation, a pair of pins 43 are provided which are secured at theirlower ends to the Vplate 45 and run upwardly through openings in thecross bar 43, these pins being equipped at their upper ends with screwthreaded nuts 49 which act as adjusting heads for the pins to limit |thedown movement of the `plate '45. Coiled pressure springs 53 surround thepins 43 and react between the plate 45 and the cross bar 46 and thesesprings resiliently urge the plate 45 downwardly toward the deck 4. Withthis arrangement it will be seen that as the shaft 4| rotates, the cam44 acting on the arm 4B, 'will at intervals raise the straighteningplate 45 and it will further 'be seen that after the high point of thecam works past the cam contacting portion of the arm 43 the springs 48will lower the straightening plate 45 to a position adjacent the upperruns of the belts 21 and 28. The cam 44 is so formed that the plate 45will assume its lowermost position for most of the time.

In using the machine suitable vats or barrels 5| will be disposed belowthe two deck notches IB for the purpose of receiving the heads and tailsof the fish to be cut. Another vat or barrel 52 will be placed below theforward end of the machine to receive the cut sections of the fish other'than the heads and tails. As the machine is -set vin operation theVbelt |I will drive the rear shaft 3 in a clockwise direction, as viewedin Fig. l, and, of course, the shafts I1 and I4 will be driven in asimilar direction through the medium of the belts 21 and 28. The crossedbelt 25 running over the two pulleys I3 and 44 will drive the knifeshaft 2| in a `counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, wherebythe knives 22 and 23 will be driven in a similar direction. It is amatter of indifference as to the direction of rotation of the cam shaft4| but in the illustrated embodiment the belt 42 working over thepulleys 26 and y43 will drive the cam shaft in a counterclockwisedirection. The upper runs of the belts 21 and 28 will, of course, movefrom the rear end of the machine toward the forward end thereof.

In utilizing the machine for cutting fish -such as herring into sectionsfor pickling purposes, the machine operator will place -the fishindividually on the belts 21 and 2'8 near the rear end of the machine insuc-h relation that the fish mouths will abut the 4gauge plate '29 andso that the fish lie approximately transversely of the machine. Thegauge plate `29 is so adjusted relative to the sizes of the fish beingvcut that the -heads of the fish extend approximately a'llength equal5to the transverse spacing between the gauge plate 29 and the knife 23at the same side of the machine as the gauge plate. The tails of thefish will then project somewhat beyond the outer edge of the belt 28 atthe opposite side of the machine from the gauge plate 29. As the iishare laid on the belts 21 and 28 the belts advance the iish toward theknives 22 and 23. The straightening plate 45 as before explained has anintermittent upward and downward movement, remaining down adjacent thebelts 21 and 28 most of the time. The up movement of the straighteningplate 45 is suiiicient to clear the iish lying on the belts 21 and 28while in the down position of the plate d5 the plate obstructs thepassage of the iish beyond the plate. Accordingly as a iish is fedforwardly on the belts 21 and 28 toward the knives, the fish strikes thestraightening plate 45 and if the iish is not aligned exactly trans-Versely of the deck 4 and of the belts 21 and 23 the plate 45 causes theiish to be so transversely aligned. The timing of the movement of thestraightening plate 45 is such as to roughly coincide with the speed ofthe operator in placing iish n the carrying belts so that each fish isheld for a moment relative to the movement of the belts by thestraightening plate, whereupon as the plate rises the fish may becarried forwardly beyond the same into the rotary knives 22 and 23.

As a fish advances into the knives 22 and the two outer knives 23 beingof greater diameter than the inner knives 22 strike the iish first andwork somewhat inwardly into the sh before the iish comes into contactwith the inner knives 22. Then when the fish comes into contact with theinner knives 22 the outer knives have out part way into the iish so asto hold the fish from side slip or side movement as the inner knives 22strike the same. It has been found that if the outer knives 23 are madeof the same diameter or smaller diameter than the inner knives 22 thefish slides transversely of the machine and generally somewhatdiagonally of the machine as it strikes the knives which causesirregular and improper cutting of the iish. This may also be duepartially to the fact that fish are somewhat broader at theirintermediate portions than at their tail and head portions and if allthe cutting knives are made of the same diameter the outer knives wouldtend to strike the iish first to tilt the iish out of a positionextending exactly transversely of the carrying belts. One of the outerknives 23 severs the hea-d from the iish and the head is discharged bythe shorter belt 28 adjacent that knife through the adjacent notch Iinto the vat I underlying that notch. Similarly the other outer knife 23severs the tail portion of the iish from the remainder of the iish andthis tail portion is discharged by the adjacent shorter belt 28 throughthe notch I'a into the vat 5l underlying that notch. The intermediateportions of the fish are tranversely cut into sections by the innerknives 22 and they are carried by the longer belts 21 forwardly todischarge therefrom at the forward end of the machine into the vat 52.If the machine is run at rather high speed the intermediate sections ofthe fish tend to carry considerably beyond the forward portions of thebelts 21 and the forward downturned part of the hood portion of thecasing 35 directs fish sections downwardly into the vat 52.

The guide plates 32 are effec-tive to prevent side spreading movement ofthe iish sections as they are carried by the belts 21 forwardly from theknives 22 and 23.

As the brackets I9 may be raised or lowered it is possible to raise orlower the knife shaft 2l and the knives 22 and 23 to vary the cuttingangle as the knives stike the iish and to permit adjustment of theknives as edges thereof are worn oif by sharpening.

By adjusting the pulleys I8 cn the intermediate shaft I1 and byadjusting the outer knives 23 inwardly or outwardly on the knife shaft2i and by adjusting the gauge plate 23, it is possible to accommodatethe machine for proper cutting of fish of different lengths. Alsolimited adjustment of the intermediate knives 22 on the shaft 2l ispossible as the slots 4a are somewhat wider than these knives so thatthe spacing between the intermediate knives can be varied within limitsto vary somewhat the spacing loe-- tween the cuts made by these knives.Of course, if the spacing between the knives 22 is varied to anyconsiderable extent it may be necessary to vary the spacing between thepulleys I5 on the forward shaft I5 and this is, of course, possible. Theguide plates 32 are also adjustable on the deck 4 to properlyaccommodate them to the adjustment of the other parts.

It will be seen that a highly effective machine has been provided forquickly cutting up iish. While the machine is intended primarily for usein cutting such iish as herring for pickling purposes, it will bereadily seen that the machine may be used for cutting or dividing manyother types of goods such as meat, plastic material, etc.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, details, arrangement and proportions of the various partswithout departure from the scope of the present invention whichgenerally stated consists in the matter shown and described and setforth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for cutting sh and the like comprising a' frame havingforward and rear ends, forward and rear pulley shafts rotatably mountedin parallelism at the two ends of the frame, pulleys carried by saidforward and rear shafts, spaced endless belts working over the pulleyson the two shafts, a knife shaft mounted for -rotation above said belts,a plurality of inner circular knives carried by said knife shaft inspaced relation, a pair of outer circular knives also carried by saidknife shaft and spaced outwardly respectively from the outermost of theinner knives, said outer knives being of greater diameter than the innerknives, said inner knives being adapted to work between adjacent beltsand the outer knives being adapted to work at the outer edges of theoutermost belts, means for driving one of said pulley shafts and meansfor driving said knife shaft.

2. A machine for cutting iish and the like comprising a deck having aforward end and a rear end, said deck being notched at.its sidesintermediate its forward and rear ends, a pulley shaft journaled at therear end of said deck, a forward pulley shaft journaled at the forwardend of said deck, an intermediate pulley shaft' journaled at theintermediate portion of said deck to extend across said notches, pulleymeans carried by said rear pulley shaft, a plurality of pulleys carriedby said forward pulley shaft and a pair of pulleys carried in therespective. deck notches by said intermediate pulley shaft and laterallydisposed from the pulleys carried by said forward Ypulley shaft, aplurality of long endless belts working over said pulley means on saidrear shaft and the pulleys on said forward shaft and having upper runsworking over said decks, a pair of shorter endless belts working oversaid pulley means on said rear shaft and said pulleys on saidintermediate shaft and having upper runs working over said deck, a knifeshaft journaled above said deck at the intermediate portion thereof,inner circular knives carried by said knife shaft and working betweenthe upper runs of adjacent long belts and a pair of circular knives oflarger diameter than the first mentioned knives and carried by saidknife shaft and working respectively between the upper runs of 4theshorter belts and the adjacent longer belts, means for driving saidknife shaft and means for driving said rear pulley shaft.

3. A machine for cutting fish and the like comprising a frame, a forwardand rear shaft journaled in said frame, pulleys carried by said forwardand `rear shafts, endless belts having spaced parallel upper runs andworking over the said pulleys, a shaft journaled above the intermediateportion of said frame, `a plurality of cir- I cular knives carried bysaid last mentioned shaft and working between the upper runs of adjacentbelts, all of said shafts being disposed in parallel relation, and meansextending crosswise of said belts intermittently working upwardly anddownwardly to and from the top runs of said belts for contacting fishand the like fed onto the belts to straighten the same and cause them toproject crosswise of the belts prior to advancing to said knives, meansfor driving said shaft carrying said knives, and means for driving oneof said rst mentioned shafts.

4. A machine for cutting fish and the like comprising a table having arear end and a forward end, said table having lateral openingsintermediate the forward and rear ends thereof, a rear pulley shaftjournaled at the rear end of said table, a forward pulley shaftjournaled at the forward end of said table and an intermediate pulleyshaft journaled in the Vintermediate portion of said table, a multiplepulley Ycarried by said rear pulley shaft, a plurality of pulleyscarried by said forward pulley shaft and a pair of pulleys carried bysaid intermediate pulley shaft and working respectively within saidopenf ings, a plurality of long endless belts running over said multiplepulley and the pulleys on said forward pulley shaft and having upperruns working over the top of -said table, a pair of shorter endlessbelts working over said multiple pulley and said pulleys on saidintermediate shaft and having upper runs working over the top of thetable, a knife shaft journaled above the intermediate Aportion of saiditable, a plurality of inner knives of circular shape carried by saidknife shaft and respectively `working between adjacent long belts and apair of circular knives carried by said knife shaft and of greaterdiameter than the rst mentioned knives and respectively working betweensaid shorter belts and the longer belts most closely adjacent thereto,means for driving said knife shaft and means for driving said rearpulley shaft.

5. The structure defined in claim 4, a cross bar mounted forreciprocation above said belts to the rear of said knives, resilientmeans normally urging said cross bar downwardly toward the upper runs ofsaid belts and means operating at timed intervals for raising said crossbar well above the upper runs of said belts.

6. A machine for cutting fish and the like comprising a table having alrear end and a forward end, said table having lateral openingsintermediate the forward and rear ends thereof, a rear pulley shaftjournaled at vthe rear end of said table, a forward pulley shaftjournaled at the forward-end of said table and an intermediate pulleyshaft journaled in the intermediate portion of said table, a multiplepulley carried by said rear pulley shaft, a plurality of pulleys carriedby said forward pulley shaft and a pair of pulleys carried by saidintermediate pulley shaft and working respectively'within said openings,a plurality of long endless belts running over said multiple pulley andthe pulleys on said forward pulley shaft and having upper runs workingover the top of said table, a pair of shorter endless belts working oversaid multiple pulley and said pulleys on said intermediate shaft andhaving upper runs working over the top of the table, a knife shaftjournaled above the intermediate portion of said table, a plurality ofinner knives of circular shape carried by said knife shaft andrespectively working between adjacent long Vbelts and a pair of circularknives carried by said knife shaft and of greater diameter than the rstmentioned knives and respectively working between said shorter belts andthe longer belts mest closely adjacent thereto, means for drivingsaidknife shaft, means for driving said rear pulley shaft, and side guidescarried by said table adjacent the forward end ofthe same and locatedbetween said knife shaft and said forward pulley shaft.

'7. In a machine for cutting fish and the like and including cuttingknives and a plurality of belts carrying the fish or the like to thesame, a device for straightening the fish or the like comprising a barmounted crosswise of the belts above the same for verticalreciprocation, resilient means urging said bar downwardly toward thebelts and means for raising said bar upwardly 'well above the belts atregular timed intervals.

8. A machine for cutting fish and the like comprising a frame, a rearpulley shaft mounted at one end of the frame, a front pulley shaftmounted at the other end of the frame, an intermediate pulley shaftmounted von an intermediate portion of the frame, said shafts beingdisposed in parallel relation, belt pulleys mounted on each of saidshafts, said intermediate pulley shaft having at least one belt pulleylaterally disposed relative to the pulleys on said forward shaft, longendless belts working over the pulleys of said rear and forward shafts,a shorter belt working over the `pulley of said intermediate shaft andone of the pulleys of the rear shaft, a knife shaft mounted above theupper runs of said belts forward of said intermediate shaft and aplurality of knives carried by said knife shaft and projectingdownwardly below the upper runs of said belts and means for driving saidknife shaft and said pulley shafts, the knife mounted on said knifeshaft and working between said shorter belt and the next adjacent longbelt being of greater diameter than other knives to act in advance ofthe other knives on material carried to the knives by said belts.

JOHN M. MELAND.

